Welcome to the Downtown Phoenix Public Market, a program of   Community Food Connections, a 501 c 3 non-profit organization. The Market marks the spot where community revitalization, economic development and a showcase for local small-scale agriculture and local artists and crafters intersect in the heart of the city.    

The Downtown Phoenix Public Market is featured in a slide show on azcentral.com.  You can view the slide show by clicking on the following link:

http://www.azcentral.com/commphotos/azcentral/7013/1/16/

What's Happening!

#1: Bravo’s “Top Chef: The Tour,” a nationwide promotional tour featuring a customized traveling “Top Chef” 18-wheeler semi-truck, will visit the Market on July 26 on its eighth city-stop. Bravo and Cox Communications will bring Phoenix’s “Top Chef” fans and foodies the ultimate culinary experience, complete with cooking demonstrations and food tastings hosted by former chef’testants “Top Chef” Season Two’s Betty Fraser and Season Four’s Richard Blais. There will be 3 live interactive shows: 8:30-9:30 AM; 10:00-11:30 AM MST; and 11:30–12:30 PM – first come, first served. The Chefs will be signing autographs, selling cookbooks and promotional items. To learn more about “Top Chef: The Tour” visit www.bravotv.com/thetour. ****(YES – the Market will stay open till 1 p.m. Sat. July 26 only.)****

Richard's Bio:

AGE: 35
HOMETOWN: Uniondale, N.Y. – currently resides in Atlanta, Ga.
PROFESSION: Chef, culinary designer, Trail-Blais
CULINARY EDUCATION: AOS Culinary Arts, CIA
FAVORITE SIMPLE SPRING RECIPE: Lamb meatballs with rhubarb & strawberry

Richard is not only a chef, but also a culinary designer, working all over the east coast. He and his wife reside in Atlanta, Ga., with their two weimaraners and are expecting their first child in the spring. He is known for his innovative and personal take on classical cuisine and has studied under luminaries such as Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud and Ferran Adria. Richard believes cooking is an art and a craft and food is meant to stimulate on many levels. He incorporates global ingredients, modern cooking methods, wit and a sense of humor to all his food. He says if he were a food he would be an artichoke. "It's tough, difficult to work with, even dangerous at its core; but when you come down to it, it’s simple, beautiful and delicious."

Local Chef James Porter from Tapino Kitchen and Wine Bar www.tapino.com will be at the Market this Saturday, July 26 as part of the Top Chef event at 9:30. He will be making luscious fruit smoothies on a bicycle the Bravo Network has created especially for this purpose!

#2: There’s a new billboard in town, just north of Fillmore on Central – donated by CBS Outdoors, facilitated by Phoenix City Councilman Tom Simplot and Deputy City Manager David Cavazos, artwork by Adrenaline Marketing, StoneAge Graphics, and A-Z Tomatoes! (photo by Renetto Mario Etsitty).

# 3: Phoenix Permaculture Guild Classes at the Market - Saturday, July 26th - Now is the time to gear up for fall planting season in Phoenix which starts in mid-August.  So get out your tools or come to Doreen’s class and learn about some tools to make your gardening chores easier.  You’ll also want to get out your planting calendars.  What?  You don’t have one?  No worries - you can download a free planting calendar at http://www.urbanfarm.org/Planting_Calendar.pdf.  This calendar was designed for Phoenicians by Phoenicians!  You may also purchase laminated copies of the calendar at the Permaculture Guild booth at the Downtown Public Market for $10 (weather and dirt resistant!) 

For those of you interested in growing your own food, we have added additional “Designing a Vegetable Garden” classes in Oct. and Nov. (see below for details).  Any time is a good time to get growing in Phoenix. 

Please sign in and make donations at our tent located across from the classroom door at the Market building.

8:30 to 10:00

Designing a Vegetable Garden - Part 3 of 4 with Heather Welch (class is FULL – see below for additional class series info).
Requested Donation: $10

Learn all aspects of designing a productive vegetable garden in the low desert. This is a multi-part series that will guide you through the design process so that in fall you'll be ready to plant your first garden and be eating out of it shortly afterwards. Nothing tastes as good as homegrown food!

In Designing a Vegetable Garden: Part 3 we will be focusing on the planting calendar (what to plant and when to plant), monocroping versus companion planting, local plant guilds, with a focus on success through using crops planted from native seeds and the value of heirloom plant varieties.

10:30 to Noon

 What to do in Your Garden this Month - Tools and Tricks with Doreen Pollack
$10 Donation requested.

Garden tools and tricks to make gardening easier and more fun! Having the right seeds, tools and supplies are just as important as the know-how! Let’s make this a tool exchange!! Bring any extra tools you don’t need or want and take home a new one! Let’s recycle, reuse and reduce waste in the landfills. We will also discuss what to do in your garden for August. Bring paper and pen for notes. Outline of course available for students.

Additional Vegetable Garden Series for the remainder of 2008:

October Series: Sat 8:30 to 10:00 AM 10/11, 10/18, 10/25, 11/1

November Series:  Sat 11:30 to 1:00PM 11/8, 11/15, 11/22, (skip a week), 12/6

 Due to the popularity of these classes, you must RSVP either online or by emailing Jennifer at phoenixhomesteader@gmail.com.  You need only to register for the first class in the series to be registered for the complete series.  We are limiting these classes to 40 participants to provide a quality experience for our students.

You can see all of our classes at www.phoenixpermaculture.org/events

To see blogs about people’s projects, participate in discussions on permaculture topics and view photos and videos pertaining to permaculture, visit us at www.phoenixpermaculture.org

A million thanks to Austin Commercial and Tom Condon for taking care of the parking lots and being wonderful neighbors. We truly appreciate their support. Also, heartfelt kudos to Southwestern Litho - they provide storage, and the nuts and bolts help with trash and utilities to keep things clean and comfortable. And props to our landlord Kurt Schneider of Schneider & Schneider LLC, also, for everything, little and big...

Stop by the More of Arizona's Best booths for McClendon's Select Honey, Queen Creek Olive Mill items and Fistiki Farms pistachios, including McClendon’s Select Bee Pollen, and honey comb, and Roh's Gourmet Fudge Sauce! You'll find water, soda, (including Sonoran Brewery Root Beer) and Market t-shirts, re-usable market bags - big, bold and beautiful - they support the environment and the Market too - all at the Market's Refreshment Palace!

Check out this new community blog by Hubbuzz.com, with posts about one of our favorite subjects, The Downtown Phoenix Public Market!

Downtown Phoenix Public Market, By Sharon Salomon
Article Reprinted with permission from Phoenix Downtown Magazine
December 2007
When I moved to Phoenix some 30 years ago, small farms surrounded our West Phoenix neighborhood. We used to buy fruits and vegetables from a farmer-owned produce stand a few blocks from our house. Iappreciated buying directly from the person who had grown the food. There was a certain charm to knowing that the farmer from whom I was buying had personally picked the corn I was serving for dinner that night. Unfortunately, those small farms are long gone, replaced by strip malls and houses.
read the full text of this lovely                                    click on picture for full view

Photos by Linda Felde

Market News:  View Video

INSIDE PHOENIX -- Downtown Phoenix Public Market

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The City Public Information Office

Phoenix Channel 11

www.phoenix.gov/11

 

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Everything offered for sale at the Market is grown or made by the person selling it and the more ingredients that come from Arizona and the southwest the better. A limited amount of produce will be brought by the farmer from other Arizona farms - feel free to talk to them about where their produce comes from and their growing practices. Open since February 2005 the Market is a natural gathering place that celebrates neighborhoods and the neighbors. It offers an eclectic high-quality mix of:

• Fresh in-season fruits and vegetables, produce, flowers, jams,
  baked goods, dried beans, free-range eggs and honey
• Live plants and unique local arts and crafts
• Tasty hot foods, music and more

The Downtown Phoenix Public Market:

• Creates new and alternative outlets for Arizona growers and producers.
• Expands access to nutritious and locally produced foods for low-income children and adults.
• Brings new destinations and neighborhood retail and expanded pedestrian linkages.
• Meets escalating consumer demands for fresh and locally-produced foods.
  Builds local wealth, jobs and a revitalized community hub for residents of the community in which the market is located.
• Leverages resources for community-based organizations and other food and business related groups.
• Returns the market area to its historic role as a distribution area for Arizona produce/food brokers.